Pumpkin and chickpea soup with crispy croutons

Method

1. Preheat oven to 220℃. 
2. Line 2 large baking trays with baking paper. Place the pumpkin, onion and garlic on one lined tray and drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with cumin and oregano. Toss to coat. Bake, turning halfway through, for 30 minutes or until tender.
3. Meanwhile, place half of the chickpeas on a paper towel and pat them dry. Remove any loose skins. Place chickpeas on the other lined tray. Spray with olive oil and season with pepper. Bake, stirring halfway through, for 25–30 minutes or until crispy.
4. Remove the vegetable tray from the oven. Use tongs to remove the skin from the onion. Cut the ends off the garlic cloves and squeeze the garlic out. CAUTION: Allow garlic to cool slightly before squeezing to avoid burns.
5. Put the pumpkin, onion, garlic and the remaining chickpeas into a large food processor or blender. Blitz until smooth.
6. Add the stock and blitz until combined.
7. Transfer the pumpkin mixture to a large saucepan or pot over medium heat. Stir occasionally until heated through. 
8. Divide the soup among bowls. Dollop with the yoghurt and swirl it through the soup. Top with the chickpea croutons and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. Serve.

Serving tip

Serve with a warm crusty bread on the side.

Variations

Use sweet potato instead of pumpkin.

Cooking tips

For step 3, you could put all ingredients straight into the large saucepan and blend with a stick blender.

Money-saving tips

Swap liquid stock for 2 crumbled stock cubes and 1L (4 cups) water.

Storage tip

TO REFRIGERATE: Store soup in a reusable container for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave until heated through to serve.

TO FREEZE: Store soup, as above, for up to 6 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat as above to serve.

Nutrition tips

For more protein, add nutritional flakes to the soup.